Would you believe there are bulletproof rearends that bolt up to your stock suspension, ready to ship in as little as two business days? This is no fantasy: Aftermarket specialists have made it nearly as easy to spec a rearend assembly for delivery right to your doorstep as ordering Chinese takeout. No more scouring the wrecking yard for hard-to-find-cores and rare performance gears and Posi options. Today's ready-to-roll gears are made using all-new parts and are available for just about any vehicle out there.

2/19Typical of today's heavy-duty rearends, Strange's S60 rendition of the Dana 60 rearend is seen here replacing the weak GM 10-bolt in an '01 Pontiac WS6 Trans Am. This S60 is equipped with a Strangetrac helical-gear diff, Spicer 4.10:1 gears, a 1350-series Strange pinion yoke, and a cast-aluminum cover.

Thanks to its separate, drop-out third-member and stamped or fabricated housing that make it easy to add custom suspension brackets for cross-manufacturer swaps, the stellar 9-inch Ford has by far the widest application reach, with a mind-boggling array of internal beef-up parts and gear ratios offered as well. But with new one-piece housing castings again available and internal design improvements, the venerable 12-bolt Chevy and the legendary Dana 60 are also enjoying a resurgence. Some manufacturers are even building the 83/4-inch Mopar, 8.8-inch Ford, and Dana 44. On the following pages, we'll take a look at the offerings available from seven nationwide rearend builders. Don't let your axles give you the shaft-to these rears, march!

Strange Engineering
Strange Engineering has been making heavy-duty rearend components and axleshafts for more than 40 years. The company is best known as a hard-core drag-race rearend supplier up to and including Top Fuel applications, but it also has a prominent NASCAR presence as the primary supplier of Ford Racing 9-inch rearend cases. With its 35-spline axles, Strange says its S60 (a redesigned Dana 60) makes for a stronger street rearend than a 9-inch Ford, which is limited to 31-spline axles when used with conventional limited-slip differentials.

3/19The newest addition to Strange's 9-inch Ford housing lineup: a bolt-in assembly for '05-'11 Mustangs. Strange is the OE supplier to Ford for the 9-inch rearends used in '10 factory Cobra Jet 'Stangs.

What do I get? Complete assembly, less brakes, with a limited-slip diff and your choice of gears.

4/19Strange's S60 has the same internals as the famous Dana 60 but with an altered casting that's easier to work on: In place of the original Dana 60 that used shims to set backlash, the S60 utilizes a 9-inch Ford-style adjuster nut that can be rotated with a spanner wrench.

Why should I buy it? "One word: Quality-it's always at the upper end of the spectrum. Our product is easy to install; all bracket locations are researched and accurate. Our pricing is competitive."

How do I buy it? Direct or through dealers.

5/19This photo shows the difference between the massive 9.75-inch-od S60 ring-and pinion and the wimpy 12-bolt Chevy's 8.875-inch gears. Despite its size, the S60 is only 15 pounds heavier than a comparable 9-inch Ford and 20 pounds heavier than the 12-bolt.

What extras are available? No assembly options, but there are a wide range of gears, differentials, other beef-up parts, and axles needed to complete subassemblies available under separate part numbers.

Why should I buy it? OEM
quality and ready nationwide availability.

How do I buy it? Available from Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury dealers or selected independent automotive specialty/performance outlets.

Just Rear Ends
A family owned and operated full-service rearend shop in Reno, Nevada, Just Rear Ends now has a nationwide presence thanks to the ubiquitous Internet. It offers complete bolt-in replacement performance rearends complete with brakes. All complete assemblies are assembled and blueprinted in-house.

8/19This Just Rear Ends 9-inch Ford for a '70 Chevelle is ready for shipping. The beefy Ford is available to bolt into more different cross-manufacturer applications than any other rearend, and the amount of optional upgrade parts is nearly infinite.

What extras are available? Ford Sportsman cases for 9-inch Ford to support 850 to 900 hp, axle and differential upgrades, spools, widening, narrowing, powder-painting; virtually any custom request within reason can be accommodated.

What's the build time? About two weeks.

Why should I buy it? "When you talk to the majors, you get a salesman, not real answers. Here, you talk to the people who actually do the work. We're a family-operated business. We will tell you the plain truth."

How do I buy it? Direct.

How much does it cost? As low as $2,495 for a 9-inch Ford equipped with drum brakes; 12-bolts are typically $300-$400 more expensive. An assembly less brakes drops the price about $500.

Do you build custom housings? Yes.

What info is needed for a custom housing? Overall width (wheel mount to wheel mount), pinion angle, and pinion offset. Customer must locate and set up link suspension brackets and geometry.

Mark Williams
Although primarily known as a manufacturer of high-end racing driveline components for hard-core drag and oval track racers, Mark Williams does build complete bolt-in retrofit heavy-duty rearends to order for nearly any make or model.

What do you get? Everything less brakes. Williams' rearends are set up for the original application's OEM brakes (example: 9-inch Ford for GM A-body will still use the standard A-body brakes). 12-bolt housings have Ford big-bearing housing ends (no C-clip). Choice of differential, any gear ratio, any width.

What extras are available? Mark Williams disc brakes, axle and axle-spline upgrades, nodular iron or aluminum third members for 9-inch Ford, different yokes for larger U-joints, wide array of other mild to wild, street to hard-core race custom options.

What's the build time? Two to 2 1/2 weeks.

Why should I buy it? "Our rearends are built to be the best. We do absolutely what the customer needs and wants. We don't have generic parts sitting on the shelf; we build the housing and specific-width axles after the order is taken. Everything is done in-house from start to finish."

How do I buy it? Direct only. "We like dealing with the customer. It eliminates misinterpretations."

How much does it cost? 12-bolt Chevy with all-new housing, custom-made 4130-steel tubes, MasterLine axles, street gears, and Posi, less brakes, any width: $3,100. 9-inch Ford, same configuration with standard nodular-iron housing: $3,300. Dana 60, including Locker, housing, and axles: $3,450. Disc brakes with solid, drilled, or vented rotors add about $900 to these costs.

Do you build custom housings? Yes. "Anything from the transmission yoke back, we can take care of it."

What info is needed for a custom housing? FAX or email form with drawing and dimensions needed. Link suspension brackets are usually shipped loose.

What info is needed for a custom housing? Units with drop-out third members (8 3/4-inch Chrysler, 9-inch Ford) can be made for nearly any car or truck. Units with integral cast housings are available for popular GM (12-bolt Chevy or Moser 60) or Mopar (Moser 60 only) cars and trucks. See separate list for details.

What do you get? Complete assembly with drum brakes, brake lines, brake-line clamps, and E-brake cables. No extra charge for narrowing/lengthening (delivery time is not affected if suspension brackets are not relocated). 12-bolts have bolt-in/bearing retainer-style axles.

11/19Offered for most Chrysler and some GM leaf-spring apps, the Moser 60 is an improved Dana 60 that's much stronger than the OEM original. It includes an improved pinion snubber that permits fine-tuning housing rotation in 1-inch increments to help control wheelhop at launch. This one fits '67 Mopar B-Bodies and includes Moser's optional Econo Disc brake kit.

What's the build time? Two business days after order is placed for Muscle Paks.

Why should I buy it? "We are the leader when it comes to bolt-in replacement rears. Our housings, axles, 12-bolts, Dana 60s, and even our 9-inch Ford (M9) fabricated housings are manufactured here in the U.S. Our casting quality is unmatched."

12/19Moser is the only manufacturer currently offering all-new versions of the Chrysler 8 3/4-inch rearend with its drop-out third member. Both stamped-steel and fabricated steel-plate versions are offered. The fabricated version, shown here installed in a 'Cuda, eliminates housing flex, allowing the centersection and ring gear to develop its full potential.

How do I buy it? Direct (phone or web orders accepted) orthrough more than 1,200 dealers worldwide.

How much does it cost? Muscle Pak units start as low as $2,520.50 and move up depending on options.

Do you build custom housings? Units that don't bolt up to the stock suspension are considered custom units. Call for further info.

Moser
Muscle Pak Rearends

Moser Muscle Pak rearends are
offered for the following makes and
models. Units with a drop-out third member can be fabricated for
virtually any make and model, even those not listed here.

DTS Custom Service
DTS has long been one of the largest aftermarket rearend component suppliers. Its Custom Service division manufactures complete bolt-in assemblies as well as custom assemblies built to customer specifications. DTS supports many vehicles not covered by other outfits.

13/19You might be fooled by the cover, but this is a Currie 9-inch Ford Crate rearend in an early Chevelle. The optional inspection cover makes the beefy 9-inch Ford look almost like a stock installation.

What rearends are offered? 8.8-inch and 9-inch Ford, 12-bolt Chevy (from its own CNC-machined castings), Dana 44, and 60.

What info is needed for a custom housing? See table.

What do you get? Complete assembly built from a brand-new housing and tubes with all brackets installed, new Timken bearings and seals, new axleshafts, wheel studs, ring-and-pinion of your choice, Posi unit, choice of yoke size. No extra charge for lengthened/shortened housing.

Currie Enterprises
In business since 1959, Currie offers "virtually any rearend for just about any car or truck." A broad variety of options are offered that conform to just about any budget or meet any power level. The 9-inch Ford remains Currie's bread and butter, with Currie Crate 9-inch rearends in stock for immediate shipment. The base rearends ship in four boxes (housing, axles, third member, and brakes) for final assembly by the customer, or you can order a completely assembled rearend. Other rearend design or car models not covered by its Crate Rearend program are considered custom-built assemblies and generally take several weeks to assemble.

15/19You might be fooled by the cover, but this is a Currie 9-inch Ford Crate rearend in an early Chevelle. The optional inspection cover makes the beefy 9-inch Ford look almost like a stock installation.

16/19This Currie 9-inch Ford GM A-car rear illustrates some of the wilder available options: Wilwood disc brakes (13-inch on the left side, 12-inch on the right), a fabricated 9-inch housing with additional back brace to reduce flex, and Currectrac adjustable control arms.

What info is needed for a custom housing? Crate (ready-to-ship) rearends: See separate list. Build-to-fit rearends for virtually any car, more popular applications include: 8.8 or fabricated 9-inch Ford for '79-'03 Mustang and other Fox chassis; 12-bolt Chevy for '82-'04 F-body, early and late GM A/G-body; Dana 44 for '97-'06 Jeep TJ and other off-road applications; Dana 60 for Jeep CJ/YJ/MG, Bronco, Toyota pickup and Land Cruiser, Samurai, miscellaneous light trucks.

What do you get? Complete units have standard drum brakes. Chevy 12-bolt and 8.8-inch Ford have 9-inch Ford-style housing ends with bolt-in axles.

17/19Here's a Crate 9-inch Ford for a '68-'69 multileaf GM F-car...

What extras are available? 9-inch Ford third member upgrades and fabricated housings; axle upgrades; Explorer, Wilwood, or Mustang Cobra disc brakes; ABS for '05-and later Mustang with 8.8/9-inch Ford and '82-'02 GM F-body with 12-bolt.

What's the build time? Crate Rearends: One to two business days; custom-built rearends: Two to 2 1/2 weeks.

Why should I buy it? "This is our 51st year in business. We are the largest supplier of 9-inch parts in the country. We make all our own products; we have a huge array of options. We sell low-end to high-end units; most companies only want to sell you high-end stuff."

18/19...Options include the popular Ford Explorer 11-inch disc brakes, a Currie 9+ nodular iron race third member (good to 800 hp), 3.70:1 gears, Detroit Locker diff, and 31-spline axles (good for 750 hp). Up to 40-spline axles are available.

How do I buy it? Direct or through distributors.

How much does it cost? 9-inch Ford crate rearends: $1,800 to $2,800, depending on the car and options. Custom 12-bolt or Dana 60 starts at $2,200. Basic 8-inch Fords, $1,600 to $1,700.

Do you build custom housings? Yes.

19/19Currie rears for link-suspension cars (like GM A/G-bodies) come with Johnny Joints instead of the old rubber doughnuts. Compatible with original control arms, they're retained by a snap ring, allowing easy R&R in 5 minutes (throw away your torch). Johnny Joints are more durable and better able to tolerate misalignment than the stockers.

What info is needed for a custom housing? Overall width and pinion offset, brake face to brake face. Other dimensions as needed for application. A faxable worksheet is available.

9-Inch Ford Crate Rearends

Applications not listed below are considered custom rearends but are
available for virtually any make and model.